Well known scam resurfaces in Athens area

Members of the Ontario Provincial Police are continuing an investigation after a suspected fraud occurred near Athens.

On January 29, 2018 at about 5:30 P.M. Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) officers in Leeds County were advised from a resident of Athens Township that they had been defrauded of a substantial amount of money by someone claiming to be their son. Fraudsters contacted the complainant, posed as their son, and then had a second person call them claiming to be a lawyer. The fraudsters said their son was charged with impaired driving and injured as the result of a collision. The complainants eventually provided the suspects $6000 via iTunes gift cards.

The OPP remind residents that if you get a call or email from someone claiming to know you and asking for help, check to confirm that it's legitimate before you send any money.

Ask some questions that would be hard for an imposter to answer correctly - the name of the person's pet, for example, or the date of their mother's birthday. Contact the person who they claim to be directly. If you can't reach the person, contact someone else - a friend or relative of the person. Don't send money unless you're sure it's the real person you know.

Impostor scams are cleverly designed to play on your fears; it's hard to avoid falling for them. If you believe that someone is posing as a fraudster, hang up. You can file a complaint through the Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre, Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-8477 (TIPS), or online at www.tipsubmit.com

If you are a victim of a fraud or scam, contact your local police detachment at 1-888-310-1122 or you can self-report the incident at www.opp.ca/reporting